Bedding clamp



- March 18, 1958 J. G. BLAINE BEDDING CLAMP Filed April 13, 1956 VINVENTOR. JAMEs 6'. ELMNE.

MTOZUEffS atent it) asza'zss Patented Mar." 18,1958

70mins. c1. 24-725 Summarized briefly, the present invention comprises abedding clamp comprising a length of rod or bar material having at leasta slight resiliency, shaped to include intermediate its ends a clampelement of inverted U-shape the bight portion of which is adapted toengage against the bed clothes at thefoot of the bed. The. clamp elementis disposed in a'generally vertical plane, and extending under the bedfrom the lower ends of the legs are angular arms each havingintermediate its ends a downwardly projecting bend which may eitherextend directly into contact with the door, or may have a threaded footproviding vertically adjustable floor-engaging means. At the free endsof the arms, there are provided lateral, angular extensions engageableagainst the sides of the bed at the bottom of the bed frame or boxspring. a

The arrangement is such that the resiliency of the mattress over whichthe bed clothes are positioned exerts a pressure against the bight partof the clamp element, and this, together with the inherent resiliency ofthe clamp element and arms, istranslated into a downward pressure of thebent portions of the arms against the floor surface, and also into anupward pressure exerted by the free ends of the arms against theunderside of the bed. The device thus will be held in place, and will inturn hold the bed clothes in place, by the mentioned pressures, butwhenever it is desired to remake the bed the device can be easily movedoutwardly from the bed to an out-of-the-way position.

Among important objects of the invention are the I following:

To provide a bedding clamp of the type referred to which will becharacterized by a minimum of moving parts, thus to permit itsmanufacture at relatively low cost;

To provide a bedding clamp which will have a novel shape particularlyadapted to translate pressure deriving from the resiliency of themattress and of the material of the device into pressures of the deviceagainst the fioor surface and bed tending to hold the device in place;

To provide a bedding clamp as described which will have a particularlyefiicient action in holding the bed clothes in place, through theprovision of an elongated, horizontally disposed bight portion or crossbar extending for a substantial part of the width of the bed at the footthereof;

To provide a device of the nature described which will be characterizednot only by the tendency thereof to remain in place at all times when itis operatively disposed, but also by the ease and speed with which thedevice may be moved out of place whenever the bed clothes are beingchanged or the bed is being re-made; and

To form the device with a means which will permit vertical adjustment ofthe position thereof to accommodate beds having legs of difierentheights, said vertical adjustment further being adapted to adjust thepressure exerted by the device against the floor surface tending to holdthe device in place.

Other objects will appear from the following description, the claimsappended thereto, and from the annexed drawing in which like referencecharacters designate like parts throughout the several views andwherein:

Figure 1 is a perspective view showing the foot portion of a bed, withthe device operatively disposed thereagainst; 7 1

Figure 2 is a bottom plan view of the device and of the foot portionofthe bed;

Figure 3 is a section on line 3-4: of Figure 1; and

Figure 4 is a detail section on line 4--4 of Figure 3.

Referring to the drawings in detail, a bed has been generally designatedat 10, and is wholly conventional, having the box spring 12 to which areattached the legs 14. A mattress 16 is disposed upon the box spring, andoverlying the mattress is the bed clothing 18, constituting sheets, and/or blanket, bedspread, and other types of bed clothing.

The device constituting the present invention is adapted to bear againstthe bed clothing across the foot of the mattress, so that the bedclothing will be held in place without the necessity of tucking the sameunder the mattress at the foot. The bedding clamp 20, in the preferred,illustrated embodiment, comprises a single length of rod material whichmay be chrome plated or otherwise treated to impart an attractiveappearance thereto. The length of rod or bar material is formed,medially between its ends, with a clamp element of inverted U- shape,having a horizontally disposed, elongated, straight bight portion 22integral at its opposite ends with, and offset laterally inwardly from,substantially vertical legs 24, 24.

The legs, at their lower ends, merge into substantially horizontallydisposed inner arm portions 26, extending approximately normally to thelength of the bight 22. At the ends of the inner arm portions remotefrom their integral connection to the legs 24, said inner arm portionsmerge into intermediate arm portions 28, 28. The intermediate armportions are offset downwardly from the inner arm portions 26, so thatthe arms of the device,

generally designated at 29, may be appropriately considered as havingdownwardly bowed bends intermediate their ends.

The intermediate arm portions 28 are provided with flattened parts 33lying in horizontal planes, and formed in the flattened parts arethreaded openings, receiving the threaded, vertical stems offloor-engaging.feet 32, said feet being downwardly convexed to preventdamage to the floor and to facilitate the sliding of the device out ofits operative position, to the left in Figure 3 when. the bed is beingre-made.

Flattened parts 30 merge into outer arm portions 34, inclined atapproximately forty-five degrees from the horizontal, these incliningupwardly from the flattened parts 30 as shown in Figure 3 andterminating at their upper ends against the underside of the box spring12. In some instances, where the bed does not have a box spring, the theouter arm portions 34 will bear against the sides of the bed frame andit will be understood that the use of the term mattress support meanshereinafter will be considered as referring both to a box spring and Fto a bed frame, as well as to any other support s'tructur for a mattress16.

At the upper ends of the outer arm portions 34, said portions merge intolaterally, outwardly extending extensions 36 of right angular shape,including at their free ends upwardly projecting fingers 38 bearingagainst the opposite sides of the mattress support means.

It will be noted from the above that the angular extensions'36, 38'provided at the opposite sides of the device lie in 'slidable contactwith the opposite sides of the mattress support means, with the arms 29having intermediate their ends means, either in the form of the feet 32or (if no feet are used) in the form of the downwardly bent intermediateportions themselves, engaging slidably against the floor surface. Thearms 2?, in this regard, are disposed in parallel, vertical planesperpendicular to the general plane of the U'shaped clamp element, withthe extensions 36,38 of the arms also lying in a common vertical plane,normal to the planes of the arms.

In use of the device, the mattress 16, by reason of its inherentresiliency, will. exert a pressure against the bight 22 in a directionto the left in Figure 3. This tends to shift the bight outwardly, thatis to the left in Figure 3, and due to the inherent resiliency of thelegs 24 and of the arms, this pressure is translated into a downwardpressure of the feet 32 against the floor surface. The feet 32 in effectconstitute fulcrums, so that not only is there a downward pressure ofthe feet against the floor surface, but also an upward pressure of theangular extensions 36, 38 against the underside of the bed at oppositesides thereof.

By reason of this arrangement, the device is held securely in place, dueto the resistance oifered by the pressures of the feet 32 and angularextensions against the floor and bed respectively. The device will thusnot move to the leftin Figure 3 under the pressure of the mattress, andwill securely engage the bedding 18 against the end of the mattress.

However, although the device is securely held in place in this mannerwhen in use, it can nevertheless be swiftly moved out of positionwhenever desired, so that the bed can be re-made. This is accomplishedby shifting the entire device bodily to the left in Figure 3, so that itwill be fully disengaged from the bedding. The device slides along thefloor, and is also maintained in slidable engagement with the oppositesides of the mattress support means of the bed, during its movementbetween operative and inoperative positions.

When the bed has been re-made, the device is simply shifted back to itsoperative position, and as previously noted will remain in said positionwhen the bed is in use.

Apart from the characteristic of the device whereby it holds the beddingin place against the mattress, the device also holds the mattress inplace upon the bed springs since any tendency of the mattress to move tothe left in Figure 3, or laterally to either side, is resisted by thepressure of the bight against the mattress.

It is believed apparent that the invention is not necessarily confinedto the specific use or uses thereof described above since it may beutilized for any purpose to which it may be suited. Nor is the inventionto be necessarily limited to the specific construction illustrated andde-.

scribed. since such construction is only intended to be illustrative ofthe principles, it being considered that the invention comprehends anyminor change in construction that may be permitted within the scope ofthe appended claims.

What is claimed is:

l. A bedding clamp for holding bed clothes and a mattress againstmovement relative to one another and to a mattress support means at thefoot of a bed, com prising: a clamp element separate from the bed,saidelement being approximately in the shape of an inverted U having legsand a bight part, the bight part extending horizontally for dispositionof said bight part transversely of an end of a mattress in engagementwith bed clothes overlying said end of the mattress; and spring armsextending from the lower ends of the legs of said clamp element, saidarms intermediate their ends including means engageable against a floorsurface below the mattress support means, said arms at the ends thereoftit) remote from the clamp element including means engaging against theunderside of the mattress support means.

2. A bedding clamp for holding bed clothes and a mattress againstmovement relative to one another and to a mattress support means at thefoot of a bed, comprising: a clamp element separate from the bed, saidelement being approximately in the shape of an inverted U having legsand a bight part, the bight part extending horizontally for dispositionof said bight part transversely of an of a mattress in engagement withbed clothes overlying said end of the mattress; and spring armsextending from the lower ends of the legs of said clamp element, saidarms intermediate their ends including means engageable against a floorsurface below the mattress support means,

said arms at the ends thereof remote from the clamp clement includingmeans engaging against the underside of the mattress support means, therespective means being adapted for slidable contact with said floorsurface and mattress support means respectively, for shifting of theclamp longitudinally of the bed into and out of an operative position inwhich the bight is engaged against the bed clothes.

3. A bedding clamp for holding bed clothes and a mattress againstmovement relative to one another and to a mattress support means, saidclamp comprising: a

clamp element separate from the bed, said element being of approximatelyinverted U-shape including a bight and legs depending from the bight,said clamp element being formed of a resilient, yielding material so asto resiliently oppose pressure exerted against the bight by a mattressagainst which the bight is positioned; and a pair of spring armsextending from the lower ends of respective legs, said arms havingdownwardly bent intermediate portions adapted to extend into contactwith a floor surface, the arms having at the ends thereof remote fromthe legs laterally, outwardly projecting extensions adapted to engagethe underside of the mattress support means, whereby the pressureexerted against the bight by said mattress will be translated into adownward pressure of the intermediate portions of the arms against thefloor surface and into an upward pressure of the extensions against theunderside of the mattress support means.

4. A bedding clamp for holding a mattress and bed clothes againstmovement relative to one another and to a mattress support means, saidclamp comprising a single length of resilient, rod material providedintermediate its ends with a portion of approximately inverted U-shape,said portion comprising a clamp element including a bight and legsdepending from the bight, the bight being adapted for engagement againstthe bed clothes at one end of the bed, said length of rod material atthe lower ends of the legs having end portions shaped as spring armsextending from the legs in substantially vertical planes normal to thegeneral plane of the clamp element, said arms intermediate their endshaving downwardly bent portions adapted for translating outwardpressure, exerted against the bight by the mattress, into a downwardpressure exerted against the floor surface, the arms at the ends thereofremote from the legs being provided with laterally, outwardly projectingextensions adapted for slidably contacting the underside of the mattresssupport means, said pressure against the bight further being translatedinto an upward pressure exerted against the mattress support means bysaid angular extensions.

SJA bedding clamp for holding a mattress and bed clothes againstmovement relative to one another and to a mattress support means, saidclamp comprising a single length of resilient, rod material providedintermediate its ones with a portion of approximately inverted U-shape,said portion comprising a clamp element including a bight and legsdepending from the bight, the bight being adapted for engagement againstthe bed clothes at one end of the bed, said length of rod material atthe lower ends of the legs having end portions shaped as spring armsextending from the legs in substantially vertical planes normal to thegeneral plane of the clamp element, said arms intermediate their endshaving downwardly bent portions adapted for translating outwardpressure, exerted against the bight by the mattress, into a downwardpressure exerted against the floor surface, the arms at the ends thereofremote from the legs being provided with laterally, outwardly projectingextensions adapted for slidably contacting the underside of the mattresssupport means, said pressure against the bight further being translatedinto an upward pressure exerted against the mattress support means bysaid angular extensions, said bight being offset inwardly from the legsfor spacing the legs outwardly from said mattress and mattress supportmeans.

6. A bedding clamp for holding a mattress and bed clothes againstmovement relative to one another, and for holding the mattress againstmovement relative to an associated mattress support means underlying themattress, said clamp comprising: a clamp element separate from the bed,said element being of approximately inverted U-shape including ahorizontally disposed bight adapted to bear against the bed clothes atone end of the mattress in position extending transversely of themattress, and legs extending downwardly from the opposite ends of thebight; and a pair of spring arms fixedly connected to the lower ends ofthe respective legs, said arms including downwardly oifset intermediateportions and further including, at the ends thereof remote from theirfixed connection to the legs, laterally, outwardly extending extensionsslidably engageable against the underside of the mattress support means.

7. A bedding clamp for holding a mattress and bed clothes againstmovement relative to one another, and for holding the mattress againstmovement relative to an associated mattress support means underlying themattress, said clamp comprising: a clamp element separate from the bed,said element being of approximately inverted U-shape including ahorizontally disposed bight adapted to bear against the bed clothes atone end of the mattress in position extending transversely of themattress, and legs extending downwardly from the opposite ends of thebight; and a pair of spring arms fixedly connected to the lower ends ofthe respective legs, said arms including downwardly ofiset intermediateportions and further including, at the ends thereof remote from theirfixed connection to the legs, laterally, outwardly extending extensionsslidably engageable against the underside of the mattress support means,said arms further including floor-engaging feet connected to thedownwardly offset intermediate portions for vertical adjustment, foradjusting the vertical distance between the extensions and thefloor-engaging means.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS548,857 Wales Oct. 29, 1895 839,442 Warfel Dec. 25, 1906 1,690,025Loveridge -2--- Oct. 30, 1928

